Plan B is a tedious affair that narratively captures two under-18 girls on the hunt for a contraceptive pill. Running on a thin plot, the film is yet another stale comedy set in America’s heartland directed by Natalie Morales.
An Indian teenage girl Sunny (Kuhoo Verma) and her misfit Mexican bestie, Lupe (Victoria Moroles) find it hard to fit in. Being a brown Asian, Sunny often faces racial remarks while Lupe is mocked for her boyish looks and carefree attitude. However, she isn’t as docile as Sunny and knows how to hit back with venomous words. In a way, she also acts as Sunny’s advisor and savior.
On the brink of adulthood, almost everyone in school had once tried sex but Sunny and Lupe are still left out. During a college party, Sunny finally decides to hook up but an unusual turn of events fills doubt in her mind that she might get pregnant due to unsafe sex. The film focuses on two underage girls, trying to get their hands on a contraceptive pill so that they can get away from life-destroying early pregnancy.
Sunny being an Indian and Lupe a Mexican, paves way for multicultural leading characters in a story. In most cliche Hollywood films, Asian characters are employed as background or sub-characters, and thus in this perspective, Plan B stands out. But overall, the film is a done-to-death comedy tale, seen a million times, with different character stereotypes.
The film fails to achieve anything new, neither with its story nor its diversified characters. It runs under the hood of similar American sexual jokes and monotonous pursuit. The performances aren’t captivating either. While these characters do have a unique turnout, yet their graphs are too random and vague. The film falls flat due to its weak writing and weaker direction.
The film had tried to incorporate some Indian jokes, which could have been written by co-writer, Prathiksha Srinivasan. But these punches are weak, few, and stereotyping. It doesn’t touch the standard set by comedian Aziz Ansari in his Master of None. At a moment in the film, the teacher tries to teach the perks and cons of sexual intercourse, as the teenagers are hitting puberty. The use of “car reference” to prove the point is really out-of-fashion and non-funny. Instead, it is regressive at some points. Briefly, the film is a duped, toned-down version of American Pie, but with a female cast, and a monotonous draft.
If you are looking for an entertainer, Plan B won’t serve the purpose. However, it is an extremely viable substitute for a sleeping pill.
Plan B is a 2021 Coming Of Age Comedy directed by Natalie Morales. It is streaming on Hulu.
